LIVERPOOL, England —A new contact lens therapy has significant potential to address the rising prevalence of myopia (nearsightedness) in children, according to the results of study outcomes presented here at the British Contact Lens Association Clinical Conference, according to an announcement by CooperVision.

At the conference, CooperVision senior manager of clinical research Paul Chamberlain reviewed three-year results from a clinical trial assessing a specially-designed, dual-focus myopia control 1-day soft contact lens in reducing the rate of progression of juvenile-onset myopia, CooperVision noted. The company said the study results indicate that innovative therapy “substantially slows myopia progression and eye elongation as measured by refractive error and axial length at the three-year mark.”

“Myopia’s growth has been dizzying, and now affects the vast majority of young adults in some countries, especially in East Asia,” CooperVision chief technology officer Arthur Back said in the announcement. “Not only does it create blurred vision, but also increases the likelihood of conditions later in life such as glaucoma, cataract, retinal detachment and myopic maculopathy if not addressed.

There were 144 myopic children ages 8 to 12 enrolled in the prospective, multi-center, double-masked, randomized multi-year study, according to CooperVision. The prevalence of myopia is projected to increase from approximately 2 billion people worldwide in 2010 to almost 5 billion people in 2050.

The new lens is not yet approved for sale in the U.S. market. CooperVision is committed to working with the FDA to move toward the required regulatory approval, a spokesman told VMail late last week.